NEWS ARCHIVE

KC emergency teams prepared, supplied for major events

Kansas City police said they were not under a state of emergency after the explosions at the Boston Marathon, but they are making sure that officers maintain a visible presence.

KC emergency teams prepared, supplied for major events

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Updated: 9:39 PM CDT Apr 15, 2013

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

While there was no credible threat to the Kansas City area, police and firefighters said they were prepared and working to increase their presence.

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For the Kansas City Fire Department, the emergency response is based out of the dispatch center off Eastwood Trafficway. Fire commanders said there's no such thing as being too prepared for something like this and they always look at a worst-case scenario.

Firefighters said the command at an emergency could change as it plays out. In an explosion like the blast that rocked JJ's restaurant on the Country Club Plaza in February, the Kansas City Fire Department remained in charge the entire time. If a bomb was involved, the command could change to police or a federal partner like the FBI.

Commanders for the city's emergency plan meet once a month. They said Boston's response to Monday's bombings will be a topic in the future.

"We can look at them and see what mistakes they made or what things that they did that were really good that we can incorporate into ours to make sure that the system runs as smooth as it possibly can," said Kansas City Deputy Fire Chief Tom Collins.

"Ultimately, our mission is to protect and save life. That's our first mission and then our second mission is to protect property, so we have to make sure we know what we're doing to make sure that that happens."

The Kansas City Fire Department has one of three trailers equipped with gear for a major emergency, including 100 back boards, a tent, lights, oxygen supplies. The trailer is ready to go to an emergency scene at a moment's notice.

Officials said the protocol for a large-scale emergency in the Kansas City area is the same for every agency.